Deckbuilding Contest - January 2025

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"Willingly Giving Karona (get it?): "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10755106/karona_forced_combat "},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10755106/karona_forced_combat "},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Karona, False God"}},{"insert":" is simply here to smack face and betray me more than "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Khârn the Betrayer"}},{"insert":". The commander's downside? It has to be given to other players constantly and they don't even need to attack with it at first. But what happens when Karona because constantly angry at everyone at the table except me? The deck's cards are contained in 3 main categories: \n\nGoad effects that make sure that not only it is attacking every turn but it has to hit anyone other than myself ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Assault Suit"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bloodthirsty Blade"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shiny Impetus"}},{"insert":", etc.)"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Pieces that protect my commander from someone trying to stop it from constantly swinging ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sword of Wealth and Power"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Robe of Stars"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Canopy Cover"}},{"insert":", etc.)"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Tools to help me find the perfect card by tutoring for it or delaying the game long enough for me to find it the hard way ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Zur the Enchanter"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Propaganda"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Take the Bait"}},{"insert":", etc.)"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThere are a few win conditions to keep in mind when playing against the deck. The obvious one is to deal commander damage, but others include "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eriette of the Charmed Apple"}},{"insert":" to constantly drain my opponents as long as I have auras, overloaded "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spectacular Showdown"}},{"insert":" to make someone else kill my opponents for me, or failing to deal with the other 2 attacking threats in the deck "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Slicer, Hired Muscle // Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist"}},{"insert":". There are some cards in the maybeboard that I either had in there at first and swap them out for better cards or ones that I just don't see how they would fit but still want to keep them in mind. \n\nBTW first contest I'm entering on here so good luck to me!\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10628433/mathas_fiend_seeker_sinister_group_hug"},"insert":"Mathas, Fiend Seeker - Sinister Group Hug • (Commander / EDH deck) • Archidekt"},{"insert":"\n\nMathis, Fiend Seeker - the drawback of the commander is your opponents get a lot of free card draw. To mitigate that and lean into it, I added a ton of group hug and group slug elements to create a deck that rewards opponents earlier but punishes them later. It has a few cards that increase card draw for the table but cards like Sheoldred, Fate Unraveler and Spiteful Visions that form the source of the pings. It has all the bounty support, a few other ways to put counters on opposing creatures and then Kulrath Knight which prevents creatures with counters on them from attacking or blocking. The deck has a good protection package as well as goading elments and both Xantcha and Alexios for maximum chaos. \n\n\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true,"link":"https://www.archidekt.com/decks/10725280/ambergris_the_drawing_sailor"},"insert":"Ambergris The Drawing Sailor"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" : Amber Gristle O'Maul // Sword Coast Sailor"},{"insert":"\n\nFor the January deckbuilding contest, I chose to build an unpopular commander from the D&D Baldur's Gate set, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Amber Gristle O'Maul"}},{"insert":". This background commander allows you to discard your hand on her attack trigger, then draw one card for each opponent being attacked. So, at minimum, you draw one card per attack, and up to three max. However, this rate isn't very good and represents a definite drawback, without being offset by the low card draw. The question immediately arose as to which background to pair with it. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Criminal Past"}},{"insert":", to take advantage of the discard and the size of the graveyard? "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cultist of the Absolute"}},{"insert":" , to try to combine a discard theme with a sacrifice theme and another drawback? (I'll admit, this one was tempting). Despite my love for Rakdos, reanimation strategies, and madness/discard options in red/black, I ultimately opted for a background that guarantees at least one card per turn without risk, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sword Coast Sailor"}},{"insert":" , which makes Amber unblockable. The other advantage was the ability to include blue, which would grant a clearer and more coherent strategy, while providing a relatively original theme for this color pair. This attempt is also a love letter to the Baldur's gate universe, this amazing set, and the background gimmick. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"The strategy: discard but draw more"},{"insert":"\n\nThe biggest disadvantage of Amber Gristle O'Maul's \"wheel\" trigger is the number of cards drawn to compensate for discarding your entire hand. The main strategy to mitigate this drawback will be to use draw (and especially draw and discard) effects to (1) have draw and discard synergies, (2) keep an ideal hand. Classic draw and discard effects are included, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Faithless Looting"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cathartic Reunion"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Big Score"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Frantic Search"}},{"insert":", as well as more unorthodox ones like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tolarian Winds"}},{"insert":". The deck's approach was heavily inspired by "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rielle, the Everwise"}},{"insert":". "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Teferi's Ageless Insight"}},{"insert":" is also included to double each draw. Other cards help draw on combat damage, since our commander and our creatures need to attack each player, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reconnaissance Mission"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bident of Thassa"}},{"insert":". "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Broodbirth Viper"}},{"insert":" has the advantage of attacking all opponents at once due to its myriad ability. Draw payoffs help create tokens for blocking or attacking to fulfill the commander’s requirements, like the new "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mischievous Mystic"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Alandra, Sky Dreamer"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Locust God"}},{"insert":" . "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Emrakul's Messenger"}},{"insert":" generates mana whenever we draw our second card, while "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Psychosis Crawler"}},{"insert":" pings opponents in a classic heavy drawing payoff. An alternative win condition will also be "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Laboratory Maniac"}},{"insert":" if the library runs empty.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Discard synergies"},{"insert":"\n\nSince our commander throws our hand into the yard, the deck benefits greatly from discard synergies and payoffs. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Brallin, Skyshark Rider"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Glint-Horn Buccaneer"}},{"insert":" ping opponents, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ivora, Insatiable Heir"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cunning Survivor"}},{"insert":" become larger for each discarded card (for the second, we need to discard before combat if we want it to be unblockable), "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drake Haven"}},{"insert":" creates 2/2 Drake tokens in exchange for paying 1 mana, while "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Surly Badgersaur"}},{"insert":" generates treasures from discarded land cards and can be used as repeatable removal.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ambergris O'More : attack, clone and copy"},{"insert":"\n\nSome creatures in the deck allow attacking each players at the same time (thus the inclusion of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blade of Selves"}},{"insert":", notably) but most of the sources of attack come from the evasive tokens and from effects that make a creature unblockable, like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Key to the City"}},{"insert":", which can also draw and discard. Lastly, the deck’s secret tech was inspired by myriad strategies and copies/clones of legendary creatures, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Delina, Wild Mage"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sakashima of a Thousand Faces"}},{"insert":" , both included in the deck. The idea is to generate copies of our commander to attack all three players at once, but more importantly, to have three attack triggers that can be ordered for multiple wheel effects and thus activate one or more of the deck's payoffs. For example, under ideal conditions with Teferi’s Ageless Insight on the battlefield, and two clones of the commander (+ the original Amber) attacking each a player, you discard your hand (for the sake of the argument, 6 cards), then draw 6 cards. The second trigger can then be resolved, 6 cards discarded and 6 drawn, and the same goes for the third trigger. So there will be 18 discard triggers and 18 draw triggers, which can activate our payoffs, and thus winning us the game !\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"The drawback of the commander AND other cards in this deck is that they give your opponents extra card draw. But that card draw can be weaponized into passive damage.\n\nhttps://www.archidekt.com/decks/10755252/windmill_afire\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10710919/lord_of_tresserhorn"},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10710919/lord_of_tresserhorn"},{"insert":"\n\nAs soon as soon as I read the contest prompt I knew I wanted to build a Lord of tresserhorn deck. Since they are often been built as a zombie tribal deck or as an aristocrat strategy I decided to instead focus on a theft strategy, Stealing creatures temporarily with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Threaten"}},{"insert":" effects only to sacrifice them to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lord of Tresserhorn"}},{"insert":"'s ETB drawback to avoid having to return them back to their owners at EOT.\n\nThe deck contains 14 theft effects including 5 that do not cost any mana on the turn they are activated helping accommodate the 4 mana necessary to cast the commander afterwards.\n\nThe deck also includes other ways to sacrifice the stolen creatures for value like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kethek, Crucible Goliath"}},{"insert":" in case the commander is already in play or cannot be casted.\n\nTo go with along with the strategy of stealing and then sacrificing creatures, I included "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kinzu of the Bleak Coven"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nightmare Shepherd"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Marchesa, the Black Rose"}},{"insert":" who allow us to milk even more value out of that play pattern while keeping the creatures out of our opponents' graveyards.\n\nThe deck contains a lot of payoffs for sacrificing creatures but I deliberately strayed away from grave pact effects because of the unfun play patterns they\n generate. That being said, I allowed myself to add "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ruthless Deathfang"}},{"insert":" because it doesn't hit every player and it is much easier to interact with.\n\nI finally found a good home for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dead Man's Chest"}},{"insert":" because it is very easy to steal the enchanted creature, sacrifice it and then dive into the gold coins like Scrooge Mcduck.\n\nTo top it all off, since the challenge was to utilise the drawbacks to our advantage, I decided to dedicate a few slots to cards that interact positively with the other two parts of our commander's ETB effect, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Psychic Possession"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Faerie Mastermind"}},{"insert":" allow us to generate card advantage from the force draw while "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Orcish Bowmasters"}},{"insert":" generates extremely useful sac fodder and targeted removal. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Greven, Predator Captain"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mortarion, Daemon Primarch"}},{"insert":" both take advantage of the life loss from Lord of tresserhorn while also contributing to the overall game plan.\n \n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.archidekt.com/decks/10567828/landfalling_to_the_top"},"insert":"Landfalling to the Top"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Altanak, the Thrice-Called"}},{"insert":" sucks as a commander. Yeah he's a 9/9 with trample but 7 mana is a lot for a commander that doesn't provide constant value. He needs his opponents to target him to use his card draw ability and his discard ability is useless from the command zone or the battlefield (the places our commanders usually are 95% of the time). So we ignore those first 2 abilities, we don't care about them for now. That last discard ability is what we want. We mulligan or tutor for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Command Beacon"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stone-Seeder Hierophant"}},{"insert":" , but ramp a little first. Then: play beacon>sac beacon>discard Altanak>bring command beacon back>return Altanak to the command zone>untap beacon with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stone-Seeder Hierophant"}},{"insert":" > repeat for landfall triggers. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Springheart Nantuko"}},{"insert":" on a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lotus Cobra"}},{"insert":" needs only 2 copies to be mana positive and allow infinite drops, or just use "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Devoted Druid"}},{"insert":" with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Luxior, Giada's Gift"}},{"insert":" for the mana. We juice "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Springheart Nantuko"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scute Swarm"}},{"insert":" for hundreds of funny little bugs, or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rampaging Baloths"}},{"insert":" . "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Craterhoof Behemoth"}},{"insert":" or a similar variant if you can't go infinite but can still beacon drop a few times a turn.\n\nI also didn't make this deck for this challenge. I made it last month and thought it fit. I'm going to actually build it and play it at some point because I like playing funny stuff."},{"insert":{"card-link":"Altanak, the Thrice-Called"}},{"insert":" \n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10752022/were_burnin_tonight_boys"},"insert":"We're burnin' tonight, boys! • (Commander / EDH deck) • Archidekt"},{"insert":"\n\nIt's Gruul grillin' time! Come on down to the biggest barbeque in the planes where the cook master is just as likely to set himself ablaze as the patrons are! An let me tell you, them fires be hot, hot, hot! Just as hot tempered as the axe wielding chef is!\n\nThe primary idea being that you are as likely to have a whoppin' 6 damage axe slap you in a one shot kill by "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ruric Thar, the Unbowed"}},{"insert":" as likely as your opponents have, with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dictate of the Twin Gods"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gratuitous Violence"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"City on Fire"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Fiery Emancipation"}},{"insert":" all jacking the damage that is dealt to "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"everyone"},{"insert":". And with other burners like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sunspine Lynx"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Heart of Bogardan"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Manabarbs"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pyrohemia"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Descent into Avernus"}},{"insert":" as a ticking time bomb, no one is safe. No one. Not even myself.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10735413/board_go_brrrrr"},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10735413/board_go_brrrrr"},{"insert":"\n\nBoard Go Brrrrr! utilizes the major drawbacks of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lord of Tresserhorn"}},{"insert":" . Whenever he ETBs, you lose life and creatures, and your opponent draws. However, I combined him with infinite creature token combos and blink combos. This will allow him to ETB as often as needed without sending himself to the graveyard. I also included several cards that ping opponents and/or give me a card advantage when they draw. This, alongside the enchantment tutors, helps me get the cards I need to combo. This deck has some fun interactions, including infinites that can fit within other infinites, such as how "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Anger"}},{"insert":" /"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Feldon of the Third Path"}},{"insert":" /"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Illusionist's Bracers"}},{"insert":" /"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Worldgorger Dragon"}},{"insert":" blinks my entire board. Lord of Tresserhorn's ETB can then sac (thus killing) "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wurmcoil Engine"}},{"insert":" and one other creature. Assuming I have 2 mana at the time, I can create infinite colorless mana and infinite death, etb, ltb, and sacrifice triggers within the infinite blink combo with Wurmcoil Engine/"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nim Deathmantle"}},{"insert":" /"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Krark-Clan Ironworks"}},{"insert":". \n\nRolling Infinites within Infinites does take a lot to pull off, but with multiple combos for both blink and tokens, I have a high chance of doing something that will drive my opponents crazy every time.\n\nWincon is to infinite blink, Lord of Tresserhorn, until I die with the timing that I make the other players die earlier in the loop than I do.\n\nWhile I doubt it will have a high win-rate, this deck will certainly give my opponents, and perhaps myself, massive psychic damage.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.archidekt.com/decks/10540114/chaotic_storm"},"insert":"https://www.archidekt.com/decks/10540114/chaotic_storm"},{"insert":"\n\nNeera, Wild Mage introduces an exciting yet risky element to gameplay with her ability to cast a random permanent card. While the randomness of her effect can offer potential advantages, such as drawing a card that fits a player’s immediate needs in sticky situations, it also introduces significant drawbacks. The luck factor becomes a double-edged sword; the card drawn could either be exactly what’s needed or an utterly irrelevant or harmful card. This unpredictability not only creates tension for the player using Neera but also causes chaos for the other players. Because the result of Neera’s ability is random, opponents are often forced to adapt to unexpected shifts in board state, leading to confusion and altered strategies. In multiplayer games, the ripple effect of this randomness can lead to complex and chaotic turns, making Neera a wild card that can disrupt the flow of the game in unforeseen ways.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10748047/mono_white_card_draw_lifegain\nHi Ben, \n\nFirst time participating in the deckbuilding contest and hope to not disappoint with this entry. \n\nAfter having a good read of the guidelines and inspired by one of the commander's you mentioned in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kiyomaro, First to Stand"}},{"insert":".\n\nI decided to add a spin and use "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gerrard Capashen"}},{"insert":" as the commander for this deck as rather than me drawing all the cards. I feel my opponents should be drawing all the cards while Gerrard gives me the benefit of gaining life. \n\nSo this deck is a combination of the one thing mono white is known to be lacking in card draw. But rewards you committing to card draw with one of the things mono white does do really well; Lifegain. \nHope you enjoy\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"https://www.archidekt.com/decks/10741492/cheerful_torment\n\nFor clarification, I've never played Magic the Gathering before. I started making decks on this site a few weeks ago, but I haven't taken the step into actually buying a deck for commander. I made this deck just over $250 on the off-chance that I somehow win and get to buy my first deck.\n\nThis is a Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor deck that focuses on playing Curses, and making them stick. One issue with Lynde is her ability to return dead curses back to the field attached to you. So this deck was made with a bunch of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Constellation "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Eerie "},{"insert":"cards that don't care which target a curse is on. \n\nIf anything, I think having more sac outlets in the deck would help, but I don't really know what I'd take out or add. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.\n\nThanks!\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10745024/shock_and_awe"},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10745024/shock_and_awe"},{"insert":"\n\nNaturally, giving your opponents cards is bad, but what if they draw so fast that they deck out? Sergeant John Benton is a cute \"group hug\" commander that works wonderfully as a mill style commander, burning through your opponent's decks until they lose! It also runs some cheeky methods of adding to the pain, from Crawlers and Mindcrank to the rarely seen Crumbling Sanctuary, which does still allow combat damage triggers since it replaces damage, not prevents it. To also help keep everyone's growing hands in check, we run a ton of \"one card per turn\" stax effects to keep the table at our speed.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10728520/fireball"},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10728520/fireball"},{"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Latulla, Keldon Overseer"}},{"insert":" is supported by some damage doublers and a bunch of Draw 2s in order to cast "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blaze"}},{"insert":" over and over again. Additionally supported by Madness Vampires.\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"I had originally built that as a Cedh deck and felt like it was boring because so many slots were filled with 'must haves'. At this point the aim is to be strong but reasonable. There are some spicy madness cards and an army of small creatures to keep our hand as empty as possible going into combat. Hope you enjoy <3 ( I had technically posted in the discord but the deck was set to private so the link didnt work, I deleted my message and it wouldn't let me resend after fixing it so I'm posting it here now)\nhttps://www.archidekt.com/decks/10742747/january_deck_building_contest\n"}]}

{"ops":[{"insert":"This month I have built a graveyard deck featuring "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pharika, God of Affliction"}},{"insert":" ,\n\nThe deck focuses un self milling and enchantment etb affects though its main weakness is generating a defense against large creatures \nthough this can be helpful it is often the decks biggest drawback .\nThis deck focuses on cheap effective payoff for only to mana so the deck can make an impact early gave and not become the target!\n\nSome of the best ways to win happen late game and cheap creatures protect the deck early on so you can live long enough to cast those threats. (ex thoughtrender laimia, Syr konrad the grim, thunderfoot baloth, amzu swarm's hunger. )\n\n"},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10741892/january_contest_deck_try_3"},"insert":"https://archidekt.com/decks/10741892/january_contest_deck"},{"insert":"\n"}]}